USSF 2010: Why and How Do Corporations Get to Hire Cops to do their Bidding?

Here at the US Social Forum in Detroit we caught up with longtime Austin based activist Debbie Russell and spoke to her about the growing trend of corporations using cops as a private army or law enforcement wing. Our good friends at Alternet just published a Mother Jones article called Louisiana Off-Duty Cops Working for BP? Corporate Police State Watch

Here this article highlights this disturbing practice with BP Oil being a recent partaker. In the article they detail how BP Oil is using Lousiana cops to enforce BP rules on public property and p[reventing reporters from filming dead oil stained animals.

Last week, Drew Wheelan, the conservation coordinator for the American Birding Association, was filming himself across the street from the BP building/Deepwater Horizon response command in Houma, Louisiana. As he explained to me, he was standing in a field that did not belong to the oil company when a police officer approached him and asked him for ID and “strongly suggest[ed]” that he get lost since “BP doesn’t want people filming”:

Here’s the key exchange:

Wheelan: ”Am I violating any laws or anything like that?”

Officer: ”Um…not particularly. BP doesn’t want people filming.”

Wheelan: ”Well, I’m not on their property so BP doesn’t have anything to say about what I do right now.”

Officer: ”Let me explain: BP doesn’t want any filming. So all I can really do is strongly suggest that you not film anything right now. If that makes any sense.”

Not really! Shortly thereafter, Wheelan got in his car and drove away but was soon was pulled over.

It was the same cop, but this time he had company: Kenneth Thomas, whose badge, Wheelan told me, read “Chief BP Security.” The cop stood by as Thomas interrogated Wheelan for 20 minutes, asking him who he worked with, who he answered to, what he was doing, why he was down here in Louisiana. He phoned Wheelan’s information in to someone. Wheelan says Thomas confiscated his Audubon volunteer badge (he’d recently attended an official Audubon/BP bird-helper volunteer training) and then wouldn’t give it back, which sounds like something only a bully in a bad movie would do. Eventually, Thomas let Wheelan go.

This footage and story should be frightening to everyone who loves their freedom watching it…We should all be asking ourselves, ‘How did things dissolve to this point where corporations own the police who enforce rules put forth by the company?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=344em_5hwcQ&feature=player_embedded

Debbie Russell

Russell who rolls with the ACLU explained this is totally illegal and went into lots of detail explaining why. During our convo, it was pointed out that in recent times we saw police and corporations merge when the employees of the RIAA (Record Industry of America Association) were photographed wearing windbreakers similar to law enforment and physically joining them on raids to arrest deejays selling home made mixtapes.

Unfortunately the practice was ignored by many because it was music industry / Hip Hop thing..However, when word leaked out that Steve Jobs of Apple chaired a board that oversaw a special task force of local Bay Area police officers which  were seen kicking in the door at the wee hours of the morning confiscating the computer of a reporter who took pictures of Jobs ‘lost iphone.

I asked Debbie with companies yeileding this much power, how does the average person counter? Do we get to hire our own cops?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO06FJXVGyk&feature=channel

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Live From Detroit:The USSF-An Intv w/ Adrienne Maree Brown-Why Detroit?

Long time organizer Adrienne Maree Brown speaks about what to expect at this week’s USSF here in Detroit. She talks about why Detroit is a such a significant city in terms of movement building and being solution oriented. Much of Detroit’s resilience has come as a result of having to endure economic hardship for the past 30 years.

Adrienne also talks about the misperceptions many have when looking at Detroit, in particular those from the coastal cities who act and feel like Detroit’s problems can be solved by them and not from residents of the city. This is truly a bottom up led city in terms of movement building where consensus building is the name of the game and not charismatic personality.

For more info check out USSF.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qidy1a6qM0w

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Police drama in Seattle: 17 year old girl punched in face by cop during jay walking stop

What is going on in the Emerald City? It wasn’t too long ago we saw security officers stand around and watch a girl get jumped. Now we see a police officer punching a sista in the face? This is beyond disturbing..Keep in mind we have police officers around the country trying to make it illegal to film them..Go figure.. Below is the police account of the incident

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9w9AfptGGQ&feature=player_embedded

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/96353934.html

SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating what they call an assault of an officer in South Seattle.

However, a police officer is seen punching a 17-year-old girl in the face during the incident captured by a video camera on Monday.

According to Seattle police, the incident began when an officer spotted a man jaywalking in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S. at approximately 3:10 p.m. The man was some 15 feet away from a pedestrian overpass, police said.

The officer was talking to the man when he saw four young women jaywalk across the same street at the same spot. The officer asked the women to step over to his patrol car, but the women were being “verbally antagonistic toward the officer,” according to officials.

One of the women, later identified as a 19 year old, began to walk away from the scene despite the officer’s instructions, prompting the officer to walk over to her and escort her back to his patrol car.

The girl then “began to tense up her arm, and pull away from the officer while yelling at him,” investigators said. The officer told the girl to place her hands on his patrol car, but she refused. When the officer tried to grab hold of her, “she pulled away and twisted, breaking free of the officer’s grip several times,” the blotter report said.

When the officer tried to handcuff the girl, another girl, this one 17 years old, intervened and placed her hands on the officer’s arm, “causing the officer to believe she was attempting to physically affect the first subject’s escape,” police said.

The officer pushed back the second girl, but the girl came back at him. The officer then punched her, police said.

The officer then handcuffed the 19-year-old woman. Other officers arrived and helped handcuff the second girl.

Both teens were cited for jaywalking. The older suspect was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of obstructing an officer. The 17-year-old girl was booked into the Youth Service Center for investigation of assault of an officer.

Nobody was injured during the incident, police said.

Seattle police have not reviewed the video of the incident. Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said investigators may review the video on Tuesday.

Whitcomb said the officer involved in the incident sent out a call for help, prompting other officers to rush to his aid.

All use of force on the job is reviewed, Whitcomb said, as use of force is under the officer’s discretion. He added that punching is a trained tactic.

“There will be a thorough investigation into this incident,” he said.

5 Reasons Why I’m Rooting For Alvin Greene, and Why You Should Too

5 Reasons Why I’m Rooting For Alvin Greene, and Why You Should Too

by Bakari Kitwana

Since the news broke that Alvin Greene won the South Carolina Democratic Party Primary Election for US Senate, countless media and political elites, have filled several rounds of the news cycle looking down their noses at the unlikely winner. But more important than questioning where he got the $10,400 filing fee and feigning outrage in response to the obscenity charge, those who claim to love democracy should be asking this: “why are freedom-loving political insiders asking Greene to step aside?”

The same folks leading the charge against Greene, in part suggesting that he’s not smart enough to have really won, are the same public servants unable to protect us from banks smart enough to rip us off, but too dumb to fail, and oversized multinational corporations smart enough to drill, but clueless about how to stop the greatest oil spill in American history.

So until said elected officials have figured out a solution to these pressing issues, alongside the unemployment crisis, the budget crises, and recurring voting irregularities in national elections that nurture a climate for more of the same, I’m rooting for Alvin Greene.

Here are five reasons why:

First, if Alvin Greene is the legitimate winner, and I think politicians should find that out with a fair investigation before asking him to step aside (as Congressman James Clyburn and Democratic Party State leader Carol Fowler have done), his win reinforces the notion that grassroots everyday people can still win elections in America–that the country, imagine this, still actually belongs to the people. Political elites reveal how far removed they are from this idea when central to their criticism of Greene is the notion that Senate primary wins are impossible without big bucks and establishment support.

I’m also rooting for Alvin Greene because he’s an underdog, the quintessential outsider, so much so, his own party claims they never heard of him. That plus the fact that any non-millionaire deserves our support when he proves he can ruffle the feathers of the mainstream political establishment–those same politicians who get sent to Washington to represent the interest of the people back at home, but fail to support the majority will on pressing issues of the day.

Third, Green deserves our support because he is a candidate who went for broke and did the unthinkable: he put his money where his mouth is. If indeed his filing fee was his own money–which is as plausible to me as his win–then it’s a compelling story about the will of everyday people in search of democracy. This is the type of inspirational narrative all Americans should be embracing–not imaginary populous movements that run politically connected candidates (Rand Paul are u listening?) and pass them off as a revolution.

Alvin Greene

Greene wants to do something to save the country sans name-calling, racial slurs or spitting on politicians he disagrees with. Instead, the 32-year-old college grad truly believes in public service–if his military record is any indication.

Which leads me to my final two points: Greene’s a military veteran and a post baby-boomer, two groups underrepresented in the Senate. Sure, Washington insiders spend a lot of time giving lip service to the troops when it’s politically expedient. However, when a 13-year military veteran runs for office, these “support the troops” cheerleaders are focused on discrediting him.

According to the Department of Defense, over 75 percent of the armed forces is comprised of Americans under 30 years old. Likewise, young voters 18-29 years old in the last three national elections have been steadily increasing their engagement. It’s time their numbers are more significantly represented in Washington.

It may be revealed in the days ahead that Alvin Greene’s win was no win at all. If so, the culprit will likely be something far more plausible than a “Republican plant.” Although an electronic voting machine glitch, diabolical voting machine tampering, or massive crossover voting lead my list, I’m hoping that won’t be the case.

But whether Alvin Greene is manufactured, an accident or for real, those crying foul should see his entry on the political scene as an opportunity to re-evaluate their commitment to the nation’s ideals–rather than to continue to dismantle them.

Bakari Kitwana is senior media fellow at the Harvard Law based think tank The Jamestown Project and the author of the forthcoming Hip-Hop Activism in the Obama Era (Third World Press, 2010).

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Some Thoughts to Consider on Helen Thomas & the Penalty for Criticising Israel

Thoughts on Helen Thomas

The other week we saw Israeli commandos board a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza while still in International waters. The end result was hundreds arrested and detained. Many were brutality beaten and 11 were shot dead. The world screamed in outrage as Israel went into spin mode and started having everyone from its ambassador on down to its de-facto pundits within mainstream media craft stories that suggested the people who were on board the ship where folks were killed, were attached to some sort of terrorist organization.

Actually, lemme back up a sec, cause that’s the latest spin. The initial spin was when the Israeli commandos boarded the ship they were facing an ‘armed militia’ which caused them to shoot. The only problem was no weapons were found. This led to Israel changing up again. This time they said they switched the story and said the folks on the ship came at them with metal pipes, rushed them and made them fearful for their lives hence 11 people had to be killed including an American citizen..

Now, I’m not no military expert, but since my tax dollars pay for many of the weapons and high-end training used by our good friend in the Middle East (Israel), I would venture to say, that those commandos knew exactly what was going on. If they didn’t then our money is being wasted. I find it hard to believe that an army with ‘superior’ intel capabilities and precision training stormed a ship and were caught off guard by these ‘humanitarian activists turned terrorists’. I find it hard to believe this uber trained military outfit didn’t have undercover operatives amongst the flotillas to convey information that would allow for a smoother take down..

If we use our common sense we’d note that many of the folks aboard the flotillas included nobel laureates, professors and seasoned peace activists. It seems pretty far-fetched to think they would be consorting with terrorists, knowing that it would kill their credibility in the court of world opinion in addition to putting them in danger. These humanitarian workers have been well aware of Israel’s military might and would not try to go against them. The flotilla people have long been and continued to act in the long tradition of civil disobedience. Part of that tradition means acting non-violently to maintain a moral high ground. To suggest these folks were doing otherwise, even if its the Israeli ambassador spouting the story is in insult to our intelligence. The bottom line is Israel messed up and has been in spin mode ever since..Part of their defense is to use allies and friends in media and government to come down hard on anyone speaking against them. Folks are quickly labeled anti-semitic and black-balled from influential circles if possible. In short Israel can do no wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlElXOJV4CA&feature=player_embedded

Such was the case with longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas who was caught on tape responding to a question..’Do you have anything you would like to say to Israel’? Thomas responded ‘Yes-Get the Hell out of Palestine‘… She then noted that Palestine was occupied land. When pressed as to where they should go, Thomas retorted, They should go back home to Germany, Poland and the United States. The outcry against Thomas calling for her ouster was deafening with former Bush press secretary Ari Fleisher leading the charge and everyone from Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs to no-name schleprocks dragged up and placed on talk shows, joining the chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQcQdWBqt14

The amount of anger that was directed at Thomas was overkill. First and foremost her remarks have a political context which could and is debated. When I heard her remarks I immediately thought of the new Israeli settlements that have caused lots of uproar and been heavily criticized. If Israel as was stated by Ambassador Michael Oren will have peace when we have a two states, than Thomas wasn’t off base when she said ‘get out of Palestine’. Sure her blutness ruffled feathers, but really when you consider what folks like Minister Pat Roberston and actor Mel Gibson, the late Reverend Jerry Falwall and numerous others have said about Israel, Thomas’ remarks are no where in the ballpark. What really angered her detractors was her stature. She gives a boost to a POV that has long been silenced here in the US while vigoriously debated elsehwere including in Israel.

Seems like the Zionist lobby wanted to send a strong signal by being relentless with their shut down of Thomas. Don’t speak ill of Israel. Don’t oppose Israel and don’t you dare give credibility to any POV or argument Zionist find problematic. This has long been a tactic used especially when Israeli policy was dead wrong.i.e Their support of Apartheid, South Africa or in recent days the tactic Zionist supporters of Israel used to intimidate including threats to blacklist UC Berkeley student Senators who voted to divest student funds from Israel.

Real News Network CEO Paul Jay wrote an insighful essay folks should peep that addresses this issue called ‘In defense of Helen Thomas on Apologizing top Apologist’. We also had a discussion on the topic which I am also including…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0UVJ35L2EU

Where’s PETA and the Angry Tea Party Crowd on this Gulf Oil Disaster?

Here’s a few things to ponder …

Where’s PETA and the Tea Party?

Where the hell is PETA? Yeah i said it? Lemme repeat that incase I was misunderstood.. Where is PETA? You know them, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals… Where are those guys around this Gulf Oil Spill Issue?

For many of us this disaster didn’t hit home until we started seeing dead turtles and pelicans immersed in oil come washing up on our shores. I mean we lost 11 people and for the majority of us, it was in one ear and out the other.. People losing jobs?…Again-it was in one ear and out the other. But all those dead animals struck a chord. It was exasperated when we heard idiots like Alaskan Congressman Don Young try to explain this off as if it was natural and the animals killed weren’t no big deal. Sounds to me some serious animal rights violations took place, both by BP and those who support and explain away their actions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuozWIsDyyU

When the oil spill started and was said to be headed toward the wild-life packed marsh lands of Louisiana, I half jokingly and half seriously tweeted ‘Where’s PETA?’ I was joking that if folks like a ‘dog killing’ Michael Vick and a fur coat wearing Jennifer Lopez could incur this organization’s wrath, wait till Tony Hayward CEO of BP crossed paths with PETA. I even included PETA  (@Peta) on the tweet and never heard back.

That was a good 50 days ago. Here we are on day 60 and as I perused their website I see there’s still no mention of the Gulf Oil Spill, which I find to be beyond strange. As you can see from the front page of their website which was taken today June 10th, they have updated information including the recent passing of Golden Girl Rue McClanahan. There’s also a recent story of porn star Jenna Jameson and her doing a shocking video about how chickens are treated, but no Gulf Oil Spill…

The website PETA.org has an action center page where people can join campaigns against KFC, Petsmart and others but no BP. I don’t wanna be petty and I realize some of these campaigns are probably worthwhile but to see how vehement PETA was over Michael Vick and the NFL where members could be found picketing outside games and stepping to fans who supported Vick, why so silent on BP and Hayward? Will members show up at his next outing and throw blood on him for all the oil soaked rare Brown Pelicans his company’s negligence harmed and killed? Will they be picketing BP stations the way they did NFL games? Thus far I haven’t seen them at the BP in my area..They were out and about during the NFL games when Vick returned..

Not to be unfair with PETA, I have to also ask this question about the Tea Party crowd? It was just a few months ago we saw a big Tea Party rally in New Orleans where folks skewered Obama for giving away government money. Some went so far as to have Obama’s face made to look like Hitler… Where’s the Tony Hayward posters that vilify him? Where’s the Tea Party  crowd whoo-riding the CEO’s press conference or townhalls like they did during the healthcare debates? Where’s the venom and outrage being directed toward BP executives who seem tell endless lies about the spill to people who live in regions that the Tea Party found major support?

One has to wonder if these organizations are all hype, scared or in the back pockets of a multi-national like BP and their friends. In any case, it was bugging me to see these outspoken groups  absent from the fight while others like the Hip Hop Caucus in Washington DC picketed Hayward’s New York office last week and attempted to secure a citizen’s arrest.  CNN did a story on a young girl who was 10 or 12 years old launching some sort of protest for the destroyed wild life..Rap star Talib Kweli stepped to the plate and dropped a searing song called Ballad of the Black Gold which deals with issues around oil. Everyone’s been stepping up..Just wondering why we haven’t seen and heard more from these two groups that garnered reputations for kicking up dust?

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Nancy Pelosi Gets Disrupted by Angry Anti-Zionists & Disabled Activists

Speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi swung through the Campaign for America’s Future to give a keynote speech and got shouted on by angry activists from the Disabled Community. They unfurled banners and came from all angles shouting at the speaker. From what I gathered there was legislationThe Free Choice Act that had not gone through and these folks were having it. They held signs that said ‘Homes Not Nursing Homes‘.. One woman was screaming that she had done everything to communicate to Pelosi’s office with no response. They chanted and cat called and refused to be ushered off by security.

Pelosi at first tried to engage them and then just soldiered on by continuing her speech amidst the shouting. At one point she remarked she was used to talking over noise because she deals with the Democratic Caucus who are just as boisterous. Pelosi tried to rev up the crowd who had left their seats and came closer to hear her speak, they tried to cheer and clap real loud to drown out the demonstrators. I’m not sure it worked.

While the disabled folks made noise, members from Code Pink including group co-founder Medea Benjamin stood at the front of the stage and held a big banner that read ‘Stop Funding Israeli Terror’. They didn’t do much shouting until a burly guard attempted to snatch the banner and Benjamin refused to let it go. There was some pushing and shoving which looked pretty ugly considering how small Benjamin is and how big the guards were. I guess they realized it wasn’t a good look as camera’s stayed locked on them. They gave up and left the hall.

Pelosi eventually finished her speech..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ggUx9abJY

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‘Operation Small Axe’ film on Oakland PD Terrorism Comes to LA this Friday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfixe3-2RQo

Update** JR was finally acquitted of all charges.. but this clip explains the premise behind the movie..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN45Yd_jdh4

Zionist Holding Racist Signs Greet Freedom Flotilla Demonstrators in SF

We attended the June 1 2010 demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate on Montgomery Street where local activist and clergy spoke out against the horrific attacks on humanitarians trying to get food and medical supplies to folks living in Gaza via the Freedom Flotillas.  In those predawn attacks 15 people were killed..

Sadly as hundreds gathered in front of the consulate, racist Zionists showed up holding signs calling for the destruction of Gaza and Islam.. It seemed a bit extreme for a group who says they were defending themselves and want peace…Seems like they were there to provoke a fight.

We spoke to local activists including former Black Panther Emory Douglass who reminded us that what took place over the Memorial day weekend was not the first time Israel has attacked unsuspecting ships…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMA2znpZmDE

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Oscar Grant Trial Kicks Off-Killer Cop Had History of Violence, Community Speaks Out About Judge’s Bias Toward Police..

Today the Oscar Grant trial kicks off in Los Angeles with a whole lot of drama surrounding the proceedings. The most glaring is police officers rallying to invoke the Policeman’s Bill of Rights which essentially allow officers on trial to not have their history brought up while the accused or in this case victims will have their entire history along with the history of friends and family brought up and dragged through the mud.

The judge overseeing this trial is Robert Perry who came under fire for allowing corrupt cops to walk during the infamous Rampart Scandal. He’s been doing everything in his power to tilt the trial in the direction of killer cop Johannes Mershele. Among one of his more egregious rulings is to put a gag order on the famed Police Brutality lawyer John Burris. If thats not enough, Mershele’s lawyer Michael Rain‘s is pushing to have Black people excluded from the jury… Yes you read that right, they are attempting to get Black people excluded from the jury. In the interview I did with Rachel last night, she didn’t mention this but called me this morning as I’m penning this to give me the update.. We will be following up on this big time.

Also the defense gets to have an expert ‘film’ witness who is claiming the videos we all saw where Grant got shot by Mershele also shows Grant trying to punch the cop. Yes, they are claiming Grant tried to hit the cop while on the ground being restrained. Here’s the latest on the ruling to allow expert video witness http://bit.ly/cGmZU1

Click HERE to listen to Rachel's comments on Oscar Grant Trial updates

Below is an audio clip with Oakland organizer Rachel Jackson explaining in detail some of the things that will be taking place during the trial…

http://bit.ly/arc40Q

Rachel also gave us a break down of Mershelee’s history. Apparently he was known to run around and brandish his taser at inappropriate times and sadly just weeks before he killed Oscar Grant he had beat down 41-year-old Kenneth Carrethers who is an engineer who was overheard complaining about the how ineffective BART police were when it came to preventing crimes.

According to reports Mershelee overheard the comments and confronted Carrethers. The end result was Carrethers being severely beaten, hog-tied and driven to 3 different hospitals as the out of control Mershelee attempted to find a place that would cover up his brutality.

Carrethers was charged with resisting arrest but those charges were dropped not too long after Grant was killed. Here’s Rachel Jackson explaining the details behind this case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcxtjrjD7II

On the eve of the Oscar Grant trial which will be held in Los Angeles, Minister Keith Muhammad explains to an Oakland crowd the Policeman’s Bill of Rights and how it will impact the upcoming trial against former BART cop Johannes Mehserle…

He also talks about the steps organizers took to make history by bringing a police officer to trial for shooting a citizen. It’s the first time this has ever happened in California. He pointed out there have been more than 8000 citizens killed by police in the past 20 years and not one conviction for wrongful death..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ7OJVPnZIY

Also on the  of the Oscar Grant Trial we heard this sista from BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) who’s name is Yvette Falarca. Here she lays down all the obstacles organizers overcame to get to this point in history where a killer cop (Johannes Mehserle) has been brought to trial. This is a first in California history..

She also talks about the evidence that will NOT be allowed in the upcoming trial which includes Mershelees past brutality incidents..

We are also reminded that that it is up to us to make sure that everyone involved is aware that injustice will not be accepted in the city of Oakland…All the stops are being pulled out to set up this trial to fail. It ranges from gag orders placed on certain organizers and spokespeople like Attorney John Burris on down to additional provisions from the policeman’s Bill of Rights being enforced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PElcxjQpTw

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